


Just Relax

by Accidental_Ducky



Category: Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2015-03-21
Packaged: 2018-02-19 15:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 11,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2394290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accidental_Ducky/pseuds/Accidental_Ducky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots with my OC Sasha and Loki in no particular order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just Relax

"Would you calm down, it'll be better if you just relax," a woman's voice states. Thor raises an eyebrow, wondering what mess Loki's managed to get himself into with the mortal woman this time. Loki lets out a long groan which is followed by a couple of thumps and even a yelp. "Dammit, Loki, you know you like this."

"Maybe the first time or two, yes," Loki says in a strained voice," but now it's just torture." Thor looks at Tony, unsure whether or not to enter the living room of Stark tower or just keep the door closed and walk away like nothing happened—Tony decided on the former. "Do we always have to do it your way, a change of pace would be nice." Another thump and a long groan.

"Don't sass me, Mister God, I'll just stop it and leave right now—"

"Don't be like that, you impatient child."

"If I was a child this wouldn't be happening." Tony's eyes widen in shock, well-aware that it was his teenage daughter that was in there with the God of Mischief. He pushes the doors open, freezing at the unexpected scene. Loki and Sasha were sprawled out on the floor, fighting over which movie they would watch.


	2. Dancing Heartbeats

Loki watches as Sasha sits outside the apartment her father bought for her, tears rolling down her cheeks in a continuous stream. He couldn't help the curiosity that overcame him, wondering what could make such a strong young woman cry like that. Surely she should be at her prom by now; laughing and joking with her friends instead of freezing in the cold night air.

She slowly raises her head when she hears his approach, eyes red and puffy from crying. She ducks her head again, not wanting one of her closest friends to see her like this. "What is wrong," Loki asks, sitting next to her on the steps. She just shakes her head, knowing that if she opened her mouth to talk the tears would just come back with full force. Loki lifts her head so he could get a good look at her, using magic to take away the soreness of her eyes and the tears she'd cried earlier.

"It's stupid," she shrugs, voice hoarse and soft—not at all like the confidante one he was used to hearing.

"Tell me anyway."

"My date ditched and went to prom with his ex." Loki remembers what the boy's ex looked like; Nutella-looking skin, squeaky voice, no thoughts in her head, and a rather large, nasty looking zit just between her uneven eyes. The image caused him to grimace and look back down at the girl beside him; straight mahogany hair up in an intricate hairstyle, pale skin, soft, pink lips…

"His loss." Loki stands suddenly, bringing Sasha up with him and leading her to the small porch of the apartment complex. "I believe he owed you a dance, did he not?" She nods slowly, confusion filling her dark eyes. "I guess you'll just have to deal with me and then you and I can think up something truly awful for that idiot." She smiles again, her confidence coming back.

As she lays her head against his chest and they begin their dance she could swear she felt his heartbeat speed up.


	3. Nightmares

Loki was confused—the lights on his floor of Stark Tower had suddenly gone out with no explanations. He uses his magic to see if a threat was near, but came up with nothing. He would've chalked it up to a normal everyday power outage, but it was only his floor, and, let's face it, stuff like this just doesn't happen at Stark Tower. Loki gets up from his couch, tossing the book he was reading on a cushion and walking to his door, planning on going down stairs and asking about the problem.

When he reached the floor below him (belonging to Sasha, Tony's daughter) he was shocked to find dust and cobwebs covering every square inch. It was strange because Sasha hated filth and made sure her floor of the tower practically sparkled. "Sasha," he calls out, receiving to response from the hyper teenager. "What's going on," he mumbles to himself, going directly to his friend's room, expecting to see her dancing around in the bright yellow room in a Game of Thrones shirt and a pair of too big sweats—instead he was met with more grime and most of her things strewn about her room. He takes a step inside, picking up her favorite stuffed animal her father had bought when she was small and was having severe kidney problems; it was a pink teddy bear about the length of Loki's forearm with a rainbow colored ribbon around its neck.

She'd cherished it, never going anywhere without it. He clutches it tightly, going down to the next floor, the one Clint and Natasha shared with their own infant son. "Hello," he shouts, greeted with an eerie silence. Their floor wasn't in quite as bad a shape as Sasha's was, but it was nowhere near repairable. What has happened to everyone? The same thing greeted him on every floor and every room he checked and he was beginning to get unnerved. Something had obviously happened to the people he has come to care for and he wanted to get to the bottom. He groans, realizing he was starting to sound like someone from Scooby Doo. He walks from the kitchen of the main floor into the sitting room.

"The strong Prince clutching so tightly to a child's toy," mocks a familiar voice, one that makes Loki begin to tremble in rage and fear. Thanos was here. Loki slowly turns to face the being that the voice belongs to, finding the red giant standing near the large couch where he and Sasha were often found fighting over what show to watch or game to play. "And I thought you'd tried so hard not to have any weaknesses after you failed me, but I found one you didn't even realize you had." He points down at the couch and now Loki and make out a small form in the dim lighting.

It was Sasha lying on the couch; pale skin now ashen and her lips a pale blue. He could tell from where he was the teen was no longer alive, but that didn't stop him from running to her and collapsing at her side, clutching her hand in his free one. She was barely seventeen, not yet old enough to endure this cruel fate. "I told you, Asgardian," Thanos hisses," that when I was through you truly would know the meaning of pain."

Loki jerks awake, looking around him; half-expecting to still be crouching next to Sasha's still body. He was in his room, the lights on and the book he was reading earlier on the floor beside the couch. Loki jumps to his feet, rushing to Sasha's floor to see if what had just experienced was some terrible dream. Her door is barely open and he could hear the soft sounds of Helen Jane Long's song Expression playing softly. He lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when he finds the teen sitting at her desk doing history homework, head bobbing along to the piano's soft notes. He floor was as clean as usual and her teddy bear was sitting on her desk.

It was only a nightmare.


	4. Ashes to Ashes

Loki stood in the rain with the Avengers, holding the hand of a sobbing toddler. Loki doesn't look at Sasha, not wanting to be pulled in by her wide, dark eyes—instead he looks ahead at the tiny headstone, the cause of the child's uncontrollable tears. Here lies Franklin. Franklin was the turtle that Clint had won for Sasha at a fair six months ago after she had begged her uncle most of the night. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, he thinks to himself with a scowl.

It had died last night after it pissed off the cat that all of the residents of Stark Tower claimed. Now the poor pet was six feet under and the cat was eating tuna inside out of the rain. Lucky little beast. Sasha turns to her father, holding up her arms in the universal sign of wanting to be picked up. Tony quickly obliges, holding the four-year-old to him tightly with his cheek resting atop her head. "It'll be okay, squirt," Clint tells her softly, taking his niece from Tony and walking back inside, promising to spend the rest of the day with her doing whatever she wanted.

They all relax on the large couch in the sitting room, Sasha snuggled between Steve and Loki while all of them watched Scooby Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf for the billionth time that month. Slowly Sasha's tears began to turn into laughter, saying lines in unison with the cartoon characters; her favorite being "Not the hunch bunch!" which made everyone else's mood turn cheerier. As much as Loki hated to admit it, seeing the child happy made him happy as well.


	5. Of Love and War

Loki and Tony stand just outside Sasha's room, their ears pressed to the door as they eavesdrop on the conversation she and her boyfriend are having. Neither men trust the hooligan and they intended on protecting her virtue. Sasha's laugh makes the worried father growl, sure that his little girl looked too cute for her own good while Loki knew she did. "I don't know, Eric." Sasha's voice in uncertain and Loki could practically see her biting her lower lip in a way that made even himself fight not to kiss her.

"It'll be fine, babe, don't worry," is her boyfriend's response, one that makes both Tony and Loki want to drag Eric out of the room by his testicles and torture him in the worst way possible—anything to teach him not to force things on Sasha, especially if it's what the two men think it is. "Lay back—" and that's the straw that broke the camel's back.

Loki and Tony burst into the room, the scene before them causing both of them to see red. Eric is resting half on top of Sasha, one hand resting on her hip and his other arm resting beside her head; his lips were hovering over hers, but she looked less enthused than he seemed to be—she had both hands on his chest, pushing him away from her.

Tony picks Eric up by the collar of his shirt, dragging him out of the room; Loki sits on the edge of Sasha's bed, helping her to sit up more comfortably. "Are you alright," he asks, green eyes filled with obvious worry.

"Fine now," she answers, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. He wouldn't let any harm come to her if he could help it, he just hoped that he wouldn't be the one to cause her any hurt worse than saying that she couldn't have any candy or that she couldn't watch zombie movies too close to the time she goes to bed.

"Love isn't easy; it takes a while to know when you truly feel it." She looks up at her best friend, her dark eyes catching the light of the setting sun.

"I love you."


	6. Blood Loss

Sasha stares down at her hand, or more importantly, the crimson liquid staining the pale skin. She was confused on where the blood was coming from or how she ended up lying on the sidewalk. Her eyes lift from her hand and look around, noting familiar houses and too many people crowding around her, but not the ones she needed to see. "Where—" She blinks to clear her vision, but the blur only worsens.

"Calm down," a man says, picking her up long enough to put her on something hard. His voice sounds distant and distorted, yet she couldn't understand why. Slowly her world fades to black.

Loki was panicked, though he let no one see this. He paced outside Sasha's hospital room, chewing absently at his thumbnail as he worries about the girl separated from him by a flimsy wall and perhaps Thor. They had gotten a call from the hospital seven hours ago that Sasha had been shot and was in surgery, now she's in ICU and could fade away at any moment.

Natasha places a comforting hand on his shoulder, forcing him to sit on one of those uncomfortable chairs that all hospitals have. "You have to relax, brother," Thor tells him, voice cracking no matter how strong he tried to be.

"Thor's right," Steve concurs," if the munchkin could see you right now she'd probably throw something at your head." This makes the group smile, and if only for a moment, those smiles were the only thing that kept all of them from falling apart at the seams.

Sitting on the bed next to Sasha, Pepper held one of her hands and sobbed, Tony's arms wrapped around his wife's shoulders. It was hard on both of them and he didn't know what he'd do if his baby girl didn't pull through okay besides hunting down the bastards that did this to her. Hell, he'd do that anyway and happily face the consequences with a clear conscious.

Pepper wipes at her tears with her free hand, feeling more terrified than she'd felt in a very long time. This was her little girl lying in the hospital bed, her little girl that had no color in her cheeks, her little girl that might never open her eyes again or smile at some prank she and Clint had pulled. These thoughts make her cry harder, clutching at Sasha's hand tighter than before.

A soft knock sounds at the door before Loki pushes it open and walks over to the bed, placing the teddy bear he'd brought from Stark Tower under the arm Pepper wasn't clutching desperately at. "She'll pull through," he tells the couple softly," and when she does she'll be pissed if she doesn't have her teddy bear." Tony nods at the god, watching as Loki softly caresses the side of Sasha's face before walking out again and closing the door behind him.

The first sensation Sasha feels is a dizzying mix of exhaustion and nausea that most pain medications caused; when her eyes open she's assaulted with noise and a bright light that she wishes would disappear and leave her to her drug-induced giddiness. "The fuck," she grumbles, finally able to make out the people who are being so damn loud.

Her parents are the first ones she sees, and then it is Loki and the rest of their merry little band. She smiles at all of them, wondering just where she was and how she got there.


	7. A Game of Chase

Sasha runs as fast as she can, wincing every now and again because of the stitches in her side pull slightly when she moves her left arm. The person chasing her is quickly catching up with relative ease and a smirk on their handsome face. She speeds up as fast as she is able to; looking over her shoulder every few feet to see how much distance was between the two.

Suddenly she's lifted off her feet and spun around, the person holding her bridal style and laughing at the squeak she lets out. Sasha elbows him, dropping to her feet and beginning to run again, growing breathless, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins keeps her moving.

The man catches up again and they both tumble to the ground, laughing for the first time in what felt like months. Loki leans forward until his lips are just barely brushing against her ear.

"Tag, you're it."


	8. Hidden Secrets

Sasha was hiding something and Loki knew it, well, knew she was hiding something, but what the secret was exactly he had no clue and it irked him more than it should have. Every time he was near her she would seem to shut down for the most part; not talking as openly as she had before with him and none of the others would tell him why—just simply smile and shake their heads.

Maybe that's what got to him; the fact she'd told others, but refused to tell him. Sure, they'd still watch movies together and do all the other normal stuff, but when it came to a serious discussion she'd make up some terribly planned excuse to go someplace else—anywhere away from him. What was it that she felt she couldn't share with him? Ever since Sasha was seven the two had practically been joined at the hip. Today was different, Loki decided, he would get the truth out of her one way or another.

He walks down the hall to her room, opening the door after a polite knock and looking around. Sasha was lying on her bed, hugging her teddy and listening to her iPod; some song called Renegade by Styx. He sits beside her on the bed, gently shaking her shoulder until she woke up again and smiling when she opened her eyes. The eighteen-year-old smiles back, hitting pause and stopping the music. "What's up," she asks groggily.

"You're hiding something from me," he answers bluntly, wanting to get straight to the heart of the matter. Her smile fades instantly, turning into a frown.

"Everyone has secrets."

"Not the two of us." She looks down at the dark purple comforter, picking at a loose thread she found.

"Get out…" Loki can't hide the hurt look that appears on his face, but still does as she said, hoping that she would tell him in her own time.

When she hears her door close, Sasha hits play again; curling into a ball and clutching her teddy tightly to her chest while mumbling a quiet," I love you, Loki."


	9. Fleeting Hope

Loki stares across the table at the person he's beginning to truly love. No longer was Sasha a naïve teenager that loved to cause all sorts of trouble; now she's twenty-two, mature, and smiling at him in a way that is completely different than she used to. This was something he's felt for her for three years now, going on four, and he's expressed none of this to her.

He simply spends as much time with the mortal woman as he could, knowing he would certainly out live her unless she decided to come live in Asgard with him. He'd never posed the question to her, knowing she would stay where her family was and her family didn't plan on leaving their home planet for anything. Loki would stay here as well until she's gone, then he might return to his true home where his parents are waiting with open arms and love.

He stares at Sasha over the rim of his coffee cup, watching her as she types something on her laptop, probably some scheme she was planning or messaging her younger sister who's at some elite private school for girls. He takes in all her features; her high cheekbones, wide dark eyes, small nose, light pink lips, long, curling mahogany hair that shone with red highlights if under appropriate lighting, and a feisty attitude that could give Fandral and run for his money.

For the longest time, Loki had been trying to get enough courage to ask her on a date, but each opportunity waved as it passed him by, laughing at his cowardice. And she seemed not to notice and if she did she didn't seem to care.

What Loki didn't realize that Sasha was feeling exactly like Loki did; afraid to ask him to stay because she didn't want him to feel like he had to stay on Earth with her. Besides, he was a god and all she is, is a pathetic mortal that's not going anywhere fast.

Both sat at the kitchen table in Stark Tower, drinking coffee and stealing glances when the other wasn't watching; neither realizing what the other was feeling…


	10. A Powerless Feeling

Loki didn't like being useless when his love was in so much pain. Her hair is plastered to her head and a painful moan is torn from her lips as she grips his hand tighter. He swallows hard, ignoring the pain in his hand as he focuses on his wife. Surely Frigga was watching over Sasha and would allow nothing to go wrong.

His wife lets out an ear-piercing shriek, making him wince, but his eyes never left her ashen face; using his free hand, he brushes some of her hair off her face. Tears begin to sting his eyes as he hears a small cry just as his wife finally relaxed. The doctor smiles at the couple and says," You have a daughter."

Sasha grins, sobbing slightly when our child is placed in her arms. The little girl looks up with the blue eyes of all newborns, a curious light entering her eyes. "What shall we name her," Loki asks softly, lying beside his wife on the narrow hospital bed. She rests her head on his chest as his arms surround hers, helping to support their perfect child.

"Addison." Loki hated feeling so powerless and unable to help when those he loves are in such pain, but as he looks down at little Addison he realizes that, in the end, it was all worth it.


	11. Growing Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this one was that I couldn't use Loki's name and I had to use the phrase "All I ask" word for word.

He watches Addison closely; making sure the boy she was with kept his hand to himself and acts the role of a gentleman. "Babe," he wife asks, walking over and resting her head against his arm—too short to actually reach his chest," what'cha doin' over here?"

"Keeping an eye on Addison," he answers, voice quiet and emerald eyes full of concentration. Sasha laughs, looking back at their daughter as she and the neighbor boy sit on the front porch with their ice cream cones. "I'll not let her be treated like some boy's little plaything."

Sasha raises an eyebrow, taking in his chiseled features with a calm glance and a question on the very tip of her tongue. With a grin, she turns away from the god and begins to do the dishes since it was her night in Stark Tower. "I've a question for you," she says with a smirk that, if her husband could see it, would make him worry.

"And what would that be?" His narrowed eyes never stray from the pair outside as she dries a few dishes and put them up in the proper places, wondering how the mischievous man would actually react to her question.

With an all-out grin, Sasha starts towards the living room, throwing the question to him over her shoulder. "What are ya gonna do when she's no longer four, but sixteen and going out on a real date with a guy you probably won't approve of?"

"All I ask is that he come in so I can show him some Asgardian weaponry, then he'll run out with wet pants." The words are practically a snarl as the god stands closer to the window, thinking about locking his precious baby in some tower for the rest of her life.


	12. A Little Help

The request was simple enough; his baby girl needed help and who better to help little Addison than her father? Loki figured it'd be something relatively simple: she couldn't reach something, choosing an appropriate outfit, or just a cheering up after watching a sad movie. Nothing could have prepared him for what she actually needed.

He opened the thirteen-year-old's door to find her lying in bed, face pale and glistening with a light sheen of sweat. Sasha sat next to her, looking helpless like all mother's do when their child is sick. "What's wrong," he asks softly, noticing that Addison was beginning to drift off to sleep. Sasha glances up at him, picking up a sticky note off the bedside table and holding it out for him to take.

"Take someone and run to the drug store," she says quietly, careful not to disturb their daughter," you'll find what you need there." Loki nods, figuring it was something important and deciding to make Steve and Tony go with him.

The entire way to the drug store Tony was questioning Loki about what the baby looked like and if he needed to kick someone's ass. He continued to talk like that until he saw what we were looking for. Clearing his throat awkwardly he mutters," Maybe we should've brought Pepper with us…" What was so strange about a grown man picking up some Playtex pads? What were they anyway?

"What exactly are they," Loki asks in confusion, causing Steve to blush and Tony to rub the back of his neck nervously.

"Uh, well…You tell him, Steve." Tony quickly walks away and begins to examine a bottle of cough syrup to look busy. Loki looks over at Steve with a raised eyebrow.

"They're for females," Steve says with a cough," um…to…Lets just find them and get outta here as quickly as we can." Together, the three men work to find the specific item Sasha had written down, all the while Loki was silent and trying to figure out what Steve meant. Tony found the product first and bought them and lead the way out of the store and back to his car.

Growing agitated, Loki grabs the small package and takes a close look at it; his eyes widening the longer he reads. "Impossible, Addison is far from ready for this to happen!"

"Tell that to Mother Nature," Steve says, looking out the window and missing the determined look on the father's face.

"Oh, I'll do more than talk to her…"


	13. An Unforgettable Feeling

A young boy sits in his grandfather's lap, holding a teddy bear that's seen better days. "I remember it so clearly," the grandfather smiles, blind eyes seeming to stare at the wall across from him. The little boy, Andrew, didn't care—he knew his grandfather could use his other senses better than most. "It was the first time your grandmother had been to my home, a few months before your mother was born…"

Loki watches Sasha from his favorite chair, smiling at the awestruck look on her face. This is her first visit to Asgard and he could tell that, if nothing else, the beauty would leave an impression that she wouldn't soon forget. "Do you like it," he asks, closing his book and laying it on the table beside him. Sasha smiles as she turns to face him, one hand gently resting on her swollen belly and rubbing small circles.

"It's all so beautiful," she breathes with an excited air about her," kind of hard to take it all in." Loki chuckles and holds out a hand for her to take so that he can escort her to dinner where she'll be formally introduced to his parents and older brother—a bit nervous that Thor would do something to embarrass Loki. "Where are we going?"

"Dinner awaits, Sasha."

"Um, shouldn't I change into something more—"He silences her with a finger on her lips and a grin lighting up his pale face. He's done that much more often since I told him I was pregnant, Sasha muses silently to herself, reluctantly following Loki to the dining room. The royal family, the Warriors Three, and Sif all stand when Loki and Sasha enter; Fandral getting a devious look on his face that quickly vanishes when Sif sends him a glare and an elbow to the ribs.

"Prince Loki and his wife, Lady Sasha of Midgard," a man announces before disappearing once more. Sasha develops a blush when all eyes land on her, trying to hide behind a much more confidant Loki. Frigga comes forward with a warm smile, resting a hand on Sasha's belly.

"You're going to have many children," Loki's mother tells the young woman softly, kissing her cheek before returning to the Allfather's side. The young couple approaches the group fully, Sasha nervously gripping Loki's arm. "Boys," Frigga states firmly," I expect all of you to be on your best behavior around Sasha and if I hear any differently you'll have me to deal with." Sasha and Loki both laugh when Thor's confidant smirk falters slightly, earning a kind smile from the Allfather. "Now, dinner will be out on the patio."

Sasha's breath was taken away as the Asgardian night surrounds her, the dark sky seeming to reflect the gold roofs of the houses below and there were no air planes or honking cars to fill the night with unnecessary and unwanted noise; it was all more perfect than she could have ever imagined was possibly real. The Asgardians themselves were a beautiful race—golden skin, flowing hair that was never out of place, impossibly strong, and voices akin to the richest silk.

"She never wanted that summer to end," the grandfather tells Andrew," she thought it was unforgettable and too perfect for any picture or tales to describe." Andrew nods with wide green eyes, the same color his grandfather's used to be before a fight with Thanos that he barely survived. "What do you think, Andrew; is Asgard as amazing as my wife thought or did she forget after all?"

"It's great here, grandfather," Andrew answers honestly, staring up at his grandfather with a smile. The old grandfather traces his fingers across a page in the sketch book he had sitting precariously on the arm of his chair with a smile of his own—having memorized the picture long ago. There was a lake with the bluest water he'd ever seen the silhouettes of two people dancing next to a roaring fire; it was the last picture Sasha had drawn before she passed away and he cherished more than any of his other possessions.

"Yes, she thought so too."


	14. Fighting for Life and Love

Malekith sneers at Sasha's weakened form, delivering a sharp kick to her side. Loki lunges at him, the chains around his wrist keeping him from getting very far—an anguished roar escaping from him. The god continued to struggle as Sasha's beating continued until he could no longer tell if the twenty-five year old was even breathing. "This is your fault, Asgardian," the Dark Elf snarls, kicking Sasha hard enough for her to slide across the room and hit the wall hard.

Loki's emerald eyes follow his love, using what was left of his magic to start working on breaking the chains hold him back. Slowly, the links of the chain begin to melt and fall away enough that when he pulled at the again they gave way and he was able to charge at the elf; both of them tumbling to the hard ground. The god's hands wrap around Malekith's throat, squeezing and letting magic flow through him into the elf.

Sasha watches through a swollen left eye, her right one swollen completely shut, as her dark Prince forces her captor into convulsions; his pale blue eyes rolling into the back of his head. Painfully, she rises to her feet and stumbles over to Loki once Malekith's body goes limp, collapsing onto her knees beside him. She could see Loki crying softly and took his face in her broken and bleeding hands. "Loki," she rasps," it's okay; he's gone now and cannot hurt anyone."

Emerald clashes with onyx as he meets her gaze and sees her pleading expression for him to just let go and take her far away from Svartalfheim—back to her family on Midgard. "Alright, Sasha, let us go home." She manages a small smile, allowing him to pick her up bridal style and use his magic to teleport them both back to Earth in front of Stark Tower. "Sasha …" Loki trails off, trying very hard not to move too suddenly. "Sasha, will you marry me?" She tilts her head to the side in confusion. "Is that not the proper way to ask?"

"No," she shakes her head, smiling now despite the pain from her split lip," that's the proper way, but I never expected to hear it from you." Loki raises a single dark brow at her response. "I'd love to marry you, Loki. Just, don't kiss me till I brush my teeth and get the blood taste out of my mouth."

"Ah yes, and I suppose I should inform your parents." Both look nervous at the task, deciding to leave it until the last possible moment. After all, the Avengers deserved a surprise every now and again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so that's how Loki proposed; I had to put Malekith in there considering Christopher Eccleston plays him in Thor and he also plays my second favorite Doctor.


	15. Who Would Have Thought

Loki liked to think that he knew everything—which, most admitted, was true on a certain level. He knew how to cook, he knew how to do magic on a level of brilliance, and he knew more of the science and math of Midgard than Midgardians themselves. One thing he wasn't sure of, though, was how to take care of the child screaming in the middle of the floor. He stares at her from across the room, arms folded over his chest as he puzzled out how to shut her up—coddling didn't work, magic scared her, and paint had made more of a mess than he could clean up. The couch would always have a bright red stain in the middle now.

He felt bad, honestly he did, but he was beginning to get a little scared himself. God only knew why Tony and Pepper had left Sasha with him; the others having been out of the country for the past few days and only just returned. Even exhausted, Natasha was still a better babysitter than a calm Loki. He mentally berates himself of being afraid; she's only a small child—barley two—and normally easy to be around. Which brings him to the problem at hand: teething. Her teething ring is basically useless and hidden under the armchair, her fever won't go down no matter what technique is tried, and the stench—good lord, don't get him started on the stench coming from her diaper.

He knew what that meant, of course, but he wasn't willing to go in without backup. She's had diarrhea since this started and her bottom is bright red and sore; she cries whenever someone touches it to clean her. Well, she cries louder anyway. So there he stood, the God of Mischief, a fearsome Asgardian with mighty powers…backed into a corner by a child whose head doesn't even reach his knees. How pathetic. Caught up in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear the small giggle coming from where once was just crying. His head snaps up, worried for a second that she'd gotten into trouble. Quite the contrary, she was sitting beside Pepper's craft box with stickers and fancy paper spread out around her on the floor. Loki chuckles, sitting next to the now pleased baby and helping her in opening the sticker packages.

When Pepper and Tony return after their date, they're met by silence. It was a rare moment in Stark Tower that it was so serene; usually, even at night, there was chaos on the ground floor. As they walk into the TV room they see why, it was a wreck with different containers of paint soaking into the couch and stickers on everything. The pile of people on the floor is what really caught their attention. All the Avengers were spread out and snoring in a sort of circle, in the center are Loki and Sasha, the god asleep with one arm wrapped securely around the baby with a smile on his lips. Sasha giggles up at her parents, pacing a gold star sticker on the space between Loki's eyes.

Tony shrugged, giving Loki a gold star himself for simply keeping Sasha in one piece.


	16. Loki Meets his Match

Loki grinds his teeth when he hears Sasha giggling in the kitchen, feeling jealous even though he knew that she would never cheat on him. It still irked him that the hunter she was chatting with had the gall to flirt with her, though. Dean Winchester—cocky bastard might find himself in a hospital if he kept trying to charm Loki's wife. "What's got your boxers in a twist," Tony asks, sitting in the armchair across from Loki, and resting his dirty boots on the coffee table that separated them. Pepper would break Tony's foot if she saw it, but Pepper is downtown at a press conference.

"That man in there," Loki growls, pointing towards the door that leads into the kitchen. Sasha giggles again, her voice muffled. Tony shrugs with a relaxed smile. "How could you let your daughter associate with that filthy Midgardian?"

"Dean's a good guy; he wouldn't try anything if he values his nether regions." The causal way that Tony spoke bout castrating the hunter made Loki a little less tense, knowing full well that Tony was extremely protective of Sasha, more so than Loki. It came with being a father, he already felt protective of the little girl in Sasha's belly and they only found out about her two weeks before. He knew it was a girl, all his instincts told him so; that caused Sasha to say it was a boy just to annoy him for not wearing protection that one time. Dean's the one laughing now, and Loki's green eyes narrow into angry slits.

"Seriously, why don't you just go hover in the kitchen if you're so worried?"

"Because Sasha hates when I'm overprotective, but she's pregnant now so she might actually go through with her threat."

"What threat?"

"It's too horrible a thing to mention." Loki shivers, paling at the threat of all threats that only Sasha's devious, demented mind could concoct. "On the other hand, if I don't go in there I might accidentally blast Winchester to tiny bits and spread those bits all over Manhattan." Tony raises both eyebrows, the corners of his mouth turning up in the tiniest of smiles. "Of course, that might happen anyway." Tony snorts, shaking his head and walking into the kitchen. It's Loki's turn to smirk then, Sasha had forbidden anyone to intrude in her kitchen so she could catch up with her friend. Moments later Tony runs out with his tail between his legs, sprinting towards the garage, and shouting something about pickles and vanilla frosting. That's another thing Loki didn't like, the cravings that made his stomach turn.

Peanut butter and banana sandwiches were bad enough, but then she got pregnant and now she dips brownies in mayonnaise—that's the easiest craving to deal with compared to the others. He shivers again, his stomach churning. The worst of all about this pregnancy is the morning sickness—he didn't understand why they called it that because it happened at night on more than one occasion and often ended with Loki and Steve being sick with her. Tony stayed away on those nights, preferring the couch to a sick daughter; Banner was completely fine with it, helping her through the worst and holding back her hair while Clint held back Loki's. Curiosity was beginning to get the best of him, he needed to know what Sasha found so freaking hilarious. What could that hunter have to say that made Sasha react in such a positive way when everyone else only made her angry? "Sasha," he calls out softly," if you want me to come in the kitchen don't talk to me." He listens for a second, grinning when Sasha continues to talk to Winchester.

With a chuckle, he pushes the kitchen door open a crack so he could see inside and hear what they were saying. Dean sat next to her with one arm draped around Sasha's shoulders, retelling something about his younger brother's fear of clowns. If he didn't remove that arm by the time Loki had mentally counted to three it would be torn off and served to him on a plate. One...Two...Thr— "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Sasha's sudden cry made Loki jump and scramble to get away. "Didn't I warn you what would happen if you disturbed me?"

Loki gulps, falling backwards onto his ass as his wife approaches him with her hands on her hips. "S-s-s-" he stammers, staring up with wide, terrified eyes. "S-s-sor-r-ry."

"You will be," she snarls, pointing to the silver device in the kitchen that scared Loki so much. "You know what to do, Mister god, get crackin'!" Shaking, Loki approaches the device, quickly going through the motions that he had nightmares about. Slowly, he pushes the lever down and then he waits, shaking and dreading what he knew would happen at any possible moment. No matter how much he prepared himself, he still jumped and shrieked like a little girl when the food popped up. In the end, it seems that the toaster won the battle that day as Loki fainted on the spot and Sasha was left to wake him up.


	17. Sweet Sacrifice

Loki detested public schools, they weren't anywhere near as clean as the private school that Pepper and Tony wanted their daughter to attend, but the eighteen-year-old refused to change schools. The food they served could barely pass as food and the auditorium is more crowded than he would like even in a good mood. That child better be happy he loves her! Scowling, Loki elbows the man next to him, reclaiming the arm rest that rightfully belonged to him. This is ridiculous, he should be back in Stark Tower taking a nice, relaxing bubble bath—his rubber duck is still securely hidden in the bottom of his dresser where none could find it.

A middle-aged Latino woman comes on stage, decked out completely in a neon pink color that made him wonder what the hell she had been thinking when she left her house. Judging from all the pink and her raspy voice when she welcomed them all to the school, Loki could guess that she was the drama teacher that Sasha detested. He couldn't blame then teen, if he had to listen that for forty-five minutes every day he'd stick a pair of scissors in his ear. "Hello and welcome to the Eleanor Roosevelt High School Dinner Theater," the teacher says loudly, her voice echoing through the auditorium without the need of a microphone. "The kids have been working hard this year and came up with excellent material. I hope you'll enjoy yourselves."

I'd enjoy being surrounded by bubbles and discussing Shakespeare with my ducky, Loki thinks to himself, crossing his arms with a huff. The old woman steps off to the side and two teens take her place, setting up and couple of chairs and going through their little skit. It wasn't near as funny as everyone thought it was, but Loki clapped nonetheless after Natasha slapped the back of his head. Apparently it was a good thing to encourage children to do what they sucked at. A brunette girl wearing a god-awful green dress walks up to the microphone to announce the next skit, wobbling slightly in her high heels. "Next is All I Ask of You from the Phantom of the Opera—singing it will be Sasha Stark and Grant Michaels." He perks up at that, sitting straighter so as to see Sasha perform.

She did a good job of soundproofing her bedroom, so that when Tony, Steve, and he had tried to listen at the door they could hear nothing. Any bug Tony put in there was crushed and thrown at his head and any spell Loki could think of backfired because of the Blocking spell he'd taught her a few years back. Two teens come out on stage now, Sasha dressed in a plain light blue dress that made her mahogany hair stand out more and her partner dressed in a tasteful suit. He felt something as the pair began to sing, a gnawing sensation that left him feeling a little angry when Grant swung Sasha around. He was nearly speechless when Grant bent down and kissed her once the song was finished, and he was certainly speechless when he realized what he'd been feeling was jealousy.

He shouldn't feel jealous that the little girl he used to babysit was kissing another man; that just wasn't right. But as he looked closely at her he realized another thing: she wasn't a little girl anymore. Where she used to be all hyper energy, baby fat, and straight edges was now a controlled, chubby, and curvy woman; her chest had to be a large B-cup now and her hair fell in soft waves instead of a tangled mess. Sasha has grown up and Loki isn't entirely sure if he likes that. Sasha smiles out at the cheering audience and all of Loki's frustration melts away.

He supposed that it was alright to sacrifice some time with his ducky if it means that Sasha smiles like that more often.


	18. Of Questions Unanswered

Loki watches Sasha curiously as she scribbled away into her little, purple book—her tongue poking out and her face barely two inches from the page. He knew she had vision problems, but that was ridiculous to the extreme. Even more ridiculous was the intense urge he had to see what she was doing, he wasn't proud of the urge as he knew how precious privacy was to Sasha, but it was eating away at his mind about what she focused so intensely on. Was it about him? No, she's filled about five of those books since she turned fourteen and she'd already admitted that she didn't have a crush on him until she was older. What could it be then—torrid fantasies, future pranks? He was at a loss and that's why he found himself approaching Tony.

The other man was just as curious as Loki was and this would make him feel less like a complete bastard. Sasha looks up when her dad enters the living room, giving him a smile before going back to her writing. Tony rubs the back of his neck, trying to discreetly walk behind her and look over her shoulder. Just as he entered within eye-range, Sasha snaps the book closed and flounces out of the room to the elevators. Loki saw the taunting smirk on her lips from the reflection, knowing how much the two men wanted to see what she was hiding in that diary of hers.

Tony wasn't a patient man and Loki had waited long enough, so they sicked Natasha on Sasha to get her out of the house. When that backfired, Tony forked up two hundred dollars and practically pushed Sasha out of the house. With her gone for a couple of hours, the two men scrambled up the stairs and into her bedroom, finding the purple book on her desk with her teddy bear sitting on top of it. The bear's eyes stared at them accusingly, almost making Loki tuck tail and run back downstairs, but they had come too far to turn back now. "Move the bear," Tony instructs nervously, wilting under the bear's glare.

"Shouldn't it be you to move it, after all you're her father," Loki replies.

"You're her husband." Damn it, Tony had him there. Loki leans forward, nudging the bear aside using a pencil. Was it possible for an inanimate object's expression to change from a death glare to one of utter disappointment? Tony lets out a long whoosh of air, grabbing the book quickly, but not opening it. They stare down at it, vaguely taking in the silver crescent moon on the cover. Inside that little book will be the answer to all their questions; all they have to do is open it just enough to peek inside at the pages within. "Open it."

"I moved the bear." Tony scowls, opening the book with shaking hands. On the first page is one simple sentence that gave both men pause. It didn't answer their questions, but it did make their shaking increase. Turn around, you idiots.

Standing behind them holding the real diary is Sasha and she does not look happy.


	19. The Truth of Lying

Loki is a master when it comes to lying, he could fool anyone into thinking he was telling the truth. In fact, he once had Odin convinced that Thor had been the one to break a vase when it had been Loki the entire time. He had Frigga convinced that her handmaiden was the one to steal her favorite necklace until she saw one of the serving girls wearing it two weeks later. So, why the hell did he have trouble lying to his wife? Honestly, he could do it easily when she was four and asked him if Santa was real; of course he is, little one—when she was seven and asked if Tony was the Tooth Fairy; if he was you'd get more than ten bucks.

When she was ten Tony asked if he'd let her watch Halloween; why the hell would I do that? She'd ended up tossed in his bed that night and he'd never watched another horror film with her until she was fifteen. To make his point, he'd had no trouble lying to the woman until she was actually a woman and tied to him for the rest of her life. He blamed the damn wedding rings and those wide, dark eyes of hers.

He struggles opening the front door, giving his wife a nervous grin when she raises her eyebrows at him. They had gone out to dinner to celebrate her thirtieth birthday; she'd wanted something quiet and private instead of the usual party that her parents threw for her. Steve was out of town this year, visiting Peggy's grave, Clint and Natasha were on their second honeymoon, and Bruce was accepting an award for his and Tony's latest invention. The only people left in Stark Tower is Addison, Thor, and Sasha's younger sister, Alex. Not exactly a charming bunch at the best of times. Impatient, Sasha makes him move and pushes the door open.

"Surprise!" The collective shout makes Sasha scream, jumping up in Loki's arms just as Scooby-doo would with Shaggy. The living room of Stark Tower was decorated with streamers and banners, purple being the dominant color. A table had been set up in the middle of the room—a Walking Dead one as per Pepper's instructions—and all of the Avengers have gathered around it. Steve had an armful of presents, obviously having arrived just moments before Sasha and Loki. As tears of happiness fill his wife's eyes, he supposes that there really is a small amount of truth in his lie—after all, now she was able to spend her birthday with the people that really mattered to her and Loki could see the dazzling smile on her face.


	20. Halloween Mischief

Loki frowns at the TV, stretched out on the couch with a bowl of popcorn balanced on his chest. A Nightmare on Elm Street had just been interrupted by yet another commercial and he was growing tired of it. Tonight was definitely not how he'd planned to spend it, but he supposed it was better than going Trick or Treating with Natasha and Barton—they're little one dressed in a fully functioning Iron Man suit curtesy of Tony Stark. Instead of spending the night running to different houses in the cold, he and Sasha would be helping Pepper, Tony, Steve, and Bruce host a Halloween party here in Stark Tower with a few close friends, which with Tony meant a few dozen people that he would talk into buying a share in his company. To top the whole thing off, they were all required to wear costumes.

Now, Loki wasn't the type to be involved in such childish nonsense, but Sasha had used her puppy dog eyes and he'd never been able to refuse them. So here he was, the all-powerful God of Mischief dressed up as some man Sasha refers to simply as 'that hot Doctor with the amazing hair' or 'Ten' on rare occasions. The dark brown suit was perfectly tailored to his form, but he could do without the square-framed glasses she'd insisted he wore. Tony saunters into the room, weighed down with bags of food and a couple of last minute decorations that Pepper picked out. If Loki thought he had it bad, Toy had it even worse. He was forced into a Superman costume—complete with tights—and was attending a party with his very pregnant wife dressed as Lois Lane.

Steve had decided to go as the Tin Man and Bruce was dressed as Doctor Jeckel and Mister Hyde; half of his body looking normal and the other half that of a monster. The only person missing in their group is Sasha herself, no doubt picking from the many costumes she'd purchased a few weeks ago. Tony pushes Loki's feet off the couch, sitting the space they had vacated with a loud groan. "Do yourself a favor," Tony grunt, rubbing his neck," don't have more than two kids because it's so not worth the mood swings." His youngest daughter was with the Bartons, dressed as an undead fairy princess. "Speaking of kids, where's my oldest?"

"Upstairs," Loki answers, eyes glued to the TV screen," getting dressed or something." He didn't know, but he wished he were anywhere else but here.

"Actually, I'm right here." Loki and Tony turn at Sasha's voice, their jaws dropping when they see her costume. She was dressed in the red slave outfit that Jasmine had worn in Aladdin complete with her hair up in a high pony tail and a golden snake band around her upper arm. Tony makes a sort of strangled choking sound, his eyes growing wide and his face a bright shade of red. The outfit had Loki almost drooling, his attention no longer focused on Freddy, but on his beautiful wife. Her stomach is a small bump, their first child oblivious as to what was going on. "Close your mouths or you'll catch flies."

"You," Tony starts," y-you…But…" he trails off, mouth opening and closing as he stares at his daughter. "Change. Now." The rest of that night was spent with Tony finding creative ways of hiding Sasha from the guests, Sasha doing all she could to help Pepper eat the pickles, Steve and Bruce doing their best not to look too amused, and Loki staring at his wife with something akin to surprised admiration. Thus far, this is his favorite Halloween, but it would be made even better when they were upstairs and he could take the costume off of her.


	21. A Nutty Night

All Loki thought he would be doing tonight was attending one of Tony's stupid parties as he had every year since he moved into Stark Tower; he never thought that would change with Addison's ability to walk. So you could understand his surprise when his little girl toddled out of the elevator in a White Rabbit costume clutching a small, plastic pumpkin. He knew what those pumpkins meant, of course, but that didn't mean his brain would process why his daughter had one. She's only two for crying out loud and it is cold outside. "Where is Addy going," he asks, brows scrunched together when his wife appears next in a short white dress with pink and purple striped cat ears, gloves, and tail. "Where are you going?"

"Trick-or-treating," Sasha answers as though it was the most obvious answer in the world. Loki continues to stare at his wife, wanting nothing more than to curl up in his bedroom and pretend he had the flu because the 'duh' look she's sending in his direction is a bid indication that he has to go with them into the cold on the night that all the nuts come out. He's seen every horror movie in the Starks' collection—which is quite impressive and extensive—he didn't have any plans to become the victim of a freakishly tall man brandishing a machete and wearing a hockey mask; no how, no way, no thank you.

"But…There's people out there." Sasha raises a brow at his pathetic expression, one hand on her hip and the other one resting on Addy's head. The Barton's walk out next followed by Tony's youngest daughters, Alex and Carly—Levi Barton dressed up as the Mad Hatter, Alex going as Alice, and Carly as the Queen of Hearts. Natasha and Clint weren't in costume, just dressed in warm clothes and sensible shoes. That is another problem, Loki hasn't owned a pair of sensible shoes since Sasha's fourth grade field trip to the zoo. "I don't….Tony!"

Said man jumps and turns around, his mouth stuffed full of popcorn and a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. "Wha-?"

"Tony will need me to help him out here."

"Nope," Pepper remarks, breezing into the room with a couple of bowls of candy in her arms. "You're going trick-or-treating with your baby."

"Let's go slick," Natasha smirks, Levi's hand in hers as she leads the way out of Stark Tower. And that's how Loki figured out how much he hated Halloween and that it really is possible to make yourself sick on Snickers bars; Sasha found out how big of an ass her husband is when he doesn't want to do something, and Addison found out that once her parents passed out on the couch, her Uncle Steve would stay up late and eat candy with her.


	22. A Nightmare Come True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> InsaneKids159: I wonder what poor boy had to ask Loki for his blessing on marrying Addison...  
> Well, here’s your answer. :)

Loki knew something big was about to happen, something he might not like. He knew as much because he had an uncomfortable churning sensation in him stomach—sure he could blame Taco Bell, but he’s almost certain that it’s not the Mexican food that’s causing this. His suspicions are confirmed one night in late August when the man his daughter has been seeing for the last four years comes for a visit on a night Addison was gone.   
Loki looks up from the crossword puzzle he was working on with his youngest, a little boy named Elijah. The young man wrings his hands together nervously at the glare Loki sends his way, Elijah oblivious to it all. The three year old takes the pencil from him ad beginning to draw a bunny in the center of the words. “Elijah,” Loki says,” perhaps you should go find your mother.” The curly-headed boy jumps up with a giggle, running past the human and up the stairs.   
“S-sir,” the man, Oliver, stutters. “I-I…You should.” He gives a nervous laugh, trying to back away only to trip and fall on his back as Loki approaches.   
“What do you want?” The words are snarled at the pitiful human who seemed almost ready to pee himself.   
“T-to askforAddison’shandinmarriage.” Loki’s brow furrows as he tried to make out what Oliver has said, the words running together. At Loki’s confused expression, Oliver takes a deep breath and tries again. “I’d like your permission to marry Addison.” And that’s the night Loki’s perfect world cracked a little in the center where Addison shined so brightly. Without thinking, Loki brings the boy off the ground so he can look him in the eyes, the fistful of shirt he had tearing slightly. The boy lets out a squeak, but doesn’t falter.  
“You have our blessing.” In his surprise, Loki drops Oliver and turns to find his wife standing in the doorway, little Elijah standing just behind her with a broad grin on his pale face. “Now, you should probably go ask Addison to be yours.” Oliver gulps, scurrying off ad slamming the front door behind him. “Close your mouth, darling, you’ll catch flies.”  
What the hell just happened?


	23. Daisies

It started small, too small a change for Loki or anyone else to notice, which is why it shocked them all so much. Carly's always loved flowers and Levi loved handing them out when he came home from work at the flower shop three blocks away. A different type every Friday afternoon—roses, azaleas, peonies. There were several vases of the things placed all around Stark Tower, their scent strong as the summer sun bakes them. He and Tony had just came in from a run to the store when they found the teens standing just outside the library doors. Carly often spent her time there, reading any book she could get her hands on while her siblings and niece played elsewhere.

Levi was leaning against the wall, desperately trying to imitate the actor that Carly had such a big crush on, some man by the name of Benedict Cucumber or some such. He held a single flower between his thumb and forefinger, holding it up for Carly to examine. Loki was just going to walk right past them, but Tony yanked him back around the corner by his collar, Tony peeking around the wall to watch the scene play out. Loki would love to say he wouldn't be the time of parent to spy on his child during a moment like this, but he'd have to put a dollar in Addison's lie jar. Being taller than the human, Loki easily joins him and looks at the pair over Tony's head, watching the scene unfold with new interest.

Levi's short red hair hangs in his eyes, adding to the effect he seemed to be trying to achieve, the sort of pose you might see a boy making in a magazine if not for the faint blush coloring his cheeks. Carly murmurs something that makes Levi give a soft laugh, the teenager brushing some of Carly's brown hair behind her ear. He holds the flower a little higher, twirling it to make sure it caught her eye. "Okay," Loki could hear Carly say just before she took the flower. "Tomorrow then, flower boy." She places a chaste yet lingering kiss on Levi's cheek before disappearing back into the library. Levi stares ahead of him, his hand pressed against his cheek and his eyes widened in a dazed expression.

"Daisies," he mumbles as he snaps out of the trance, walking right past Tony and Loki without realizing the two were there," her favorites are daisies."


	24. The Summer House

Loki loved summer for two simple reasons, the small house in Oklahoma that Sasha insisted on having and the porch swing that came with it. He didn't worry about allergies like all of the others in their strange family, he could spend all day outside without sneezing or watery eyes and he often did the yard work while Tony was on the couch, surrounded by tissues and cold medicine. The nights lessened their symptoms a little, just enough to have a bonfire and s'mores for the little ones. Addison loved the bonfire and Eli loved eating the leftover chocolate.

What Loki loved in those moments was curling up on the porch swing with Sasha situated against his chest, the porch light and the dancing flames illuminating the book in her hands as she reads to him. It was a different book every night, never the same thing twice. That was when he was the most relaxed, when he was warmed by Sasha and she was cooled off by him. Her voice is soft so as not to disturb the rowdy kids, just loud enough for Loki to hear. He would close his eyes, picturing the scenes she described, everything else dropped away and was replaced by calm. It was perfect, the moments he looks forward to most on the annual trip besides swimming with his children.

"' _Where did you go, if I may ask?' asked Thorin to Gandalf as they rode along_ ," Sasha read quietly as she relaxed against Loki contentedly,"'  _To look ahead.' said he..._ '" Pepper was the first to notice the moment Loki fully relaxed, snapping a quick picture to add to the family's vacation album later.

Loki would cherish that photo years down the road when it's yellowed and torn, showing it to anyone who would look at the hospital where Sasha practically lived. He'd describe to her what it was, how the night had felt when she could no longer remember. He would curl up beside her on the narrow bed with her favorite childhood book, doing the voices for the characters as best as he could. He didn't want to face the reality, he didn't want to accept that the one woman on this miserable planet that he loved was slipping away and there was nothing he could do about it. When her eyes slipped closed for the last time, Loki hugged her tightly to him, crying and praying that he could join her, but that wouldn't happen for a very long time.

When it finally did, though, he found himself back at the little house. It was early summer, the bite of winter just beginning to fade away and the plants all green and colorful. Sasha leaned against the porch railing, in that pretty yellow sundress that she had loved so much when she was in her twenties and pregnant with Addie. She was smiling at him with a book in one hand, stretching the other out for him to take as she led him inside. And there was Tony, still stretched out on the couch, but no longer suffering from allergies. Natasha was dancing with Clint, Pepper was taking pictures of everyone. The only people missing were the children and Loki knew that was because they still had long lives ahead of them.

He was happy.


	25. Their Little Girl

He isn't crying, the strange water on his face must be from rain, though he didn't understand how it could be raining inside a gymnasium. Perhaps it was perspiration, that would explain why it was salty where the liquid touched his lips, but he most definitely was crying. He had everything in control, he was perfectly calm and composed. At least, that's what he said when Sasha tried to console him while wiping away tears of her own. Tony wasn't much better off, dabbing away tears of his own discreetly and leaning closer to Pepper to whisper something in her ear.

This day was supposed to be a happy one, so why did he feel like he was losing something? He watches his baby girl walk up onto the stage when her name is called, her smile big as she pauses on the other end of the stage for the photographer to do his job, the flash of the camera bright and illuminating the little black case she held in her hand. It was a tiny thing with silver letters imprinted on the front of it proclaiming the school's name and their mascot. Addison is done with high school, she'll be moving on to college soon, his baby had grown up right under his nose and he didn't realize it until the moment she came into the living room of Stark Tower dressed in her graduation cap and gown.

He didn't like these conflicted emotions, he'd rather just have one to deal with at a time instead of all of them hitting him at once like a punch to the stomach. Happiness, sadness, stress, nerves, all of them were working on his stomach and making him wish he could hide Addison in a bubble where she would always be safe. "Are you okay," Sasha asks, handing Elijah off to Clint, so that she could dab the tears from Loki's face. Loki was trying to keep it together, honestly he was, but the second he looked into Sasha's red-rimmed eyes, he lost it entirely. He falls into her arms, clutching her tightly and all-out bawling as Sasha does the same.

Their little girl is all grown up.


End file.
